Watch your language…

In this week’s newsletter, I’ve been talking about how my increase in journaling (because of a book I’m currently reading) has highlighted the potentially negative language I tend to use - especially those ‘should’s’ ‘need to’s’ and ‘have to’s’. 

It might seem like a small thing but as I noticed how often I used them, I started to see that they’re not always helpful. Sometimes they come with the weight of expectation and, over time, they create a steady undercurrent of pressure - a feeling of being slightly behind, not enough or of having gotten it wrong. 
Sometimes they reveal a disappointment I didn’t realise that I had with myself. 

They’re a burden that adds unnecessary weight to a task or situation. 

So this week, I’m swapping the ‘should’s/have to’s/need to’s’ for ‘want to’s/get to’s/going to’s’

• I should clean the bathroom > I’m going to clean the bathroom 

• I have to go to the gym > I’m choosing to go to the gym 

• I need to eat better food > I want to eat better food 

Less self criticism, more agency and choice - what’s not to love. 

Noticing these things about ourselves sometimes takes a little bit of space and presence. For many, that’s the hard part - because life is busy! 

I would tell you that you should go to a soundbath or have some reiki but you get to be the one who decides whether that's something you choose to do (see what I did there! 🤣)